It said, I’m here.
I must be imagining it because I’m tired, he thought and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Six
James had been excited all day and could not wait to start the journey up to the mountain. Not knowing how long he was going to be away made it very difficult to decide on what to take. The instructions said ‘take few possessions,’ so he could hardly take the kitchen sink! He packed into a sports bag a change of clothes, some snacks, the map, the box with its contents and a few photographs of Carol, Lex and the cottage.
James took one last look around the cottage, going from room to room. He entered the living room. There’s something about that picture, he thought, looking at the magnogenic canvas of the flowers over the fireplace. I shouldn’t take anything else, but I do like it. Carol liked it too. He removed it from the wall, turned it off and placed it in the sports bag. It will remind me of home.
James locked the front door and walked slowly across to the car. He glanced up at the full moon which was slowly being obscured by some grey clouds and noticed that the wind was starting to strengthen. Just before he started the car to leave, he sighed and took one last lingering look back at the cottage.
It feels strange, but it’s almost like I’m going on a camping trip to the Pennines or Cumbrian mountains and will be back in a few days. But this may be the last time I see the cottage. It looks almost abandoned.
Using roads and a narrow track, James drove to half way up the mountain, but from there he had to walk the last half-mile up a steep slope. The sky was now overcast, and the wind was blustery and bitterly cold. There was a sprinkling of snow on the ground, and occasionally he could hear the distant noise of wild animals, carried by the swirling wind. He used the torch from the box, but it was difficult for him to see his way over the uneven paths, carrying the sports bag.
James took a deep breath. The air felt fresh and sweet. He paused for a moment in the shelter of some rocks and looked at the dark expanse of countryside below him. On the horizon there was a light-orange glow from the nearby town of Penrith.
It’s so peaceful up here. I wish I’d explored this mountain years ago, James thought. It would be great in the summer. He stopped to look straight ahead and lowered his head, looking down towards the ground. I wish you were here too. You’d love this place, Mum. His mind wandered back to the cottage. He pictured the hillside and the flowers he left on Carol’s resting place.
Suddenly there was a sound from behind the rocks. James flashed the torch across their surface. When the wind abated, a rustling noise rose above the wind. Then, from the darkness, a solitary fox slowly appeared; it stopped to look into the light, staring through it, before walking slowly away.
I’d almost forgotten why I’m up here, he thought, looking again around the valley.
James continued on the winding track until he reached a fork.
Hell, where do I go now? He rubbed his hands together trying to generate some warmth. The quarry can’t be far away, but I could be up here hours and still not find whatever I’m supposed to be looking for.
He just started walking down one of the tracks when ‘Aaargh!’ James shouted.
The telementor had suddenly turned ice-cold, surprising him.
Strange, he thought, but then it got colder and colder the further down the path he walked.
It’s seems to be telling me something. I’m going the wrong way! With that James turned around and walked briskly back to the junction in the path. The telementor warmed up again.
‘At least something knows where I’m going,’ he muttered.
James approached a rocky clearing near the top. It was the old abandoned quarry.
It definitely knew where I was going.
All James could hear was the wind howling around the quarry basin. He looked at the many rock faces stretching in front of him. The moon had momentarily broken free from its dark prison of clouds. Jagged light shone onto part of the quarry, illuminating some of the rocks in various shades of grey and silver. A large dark shadow stretched across the basin floor.
James shone the torch around, following the contours of the quarry, looking for a door. He walked for a couple of minutes, quickly cooling from the energetic walk, before noticing a boarded up entrance to an old mine set far back and partially hidden by a distant rock.
James hurried over and tried the key from the box. It fitted, turned to unlock, but the door would not budge. He shone the torch at the hinges to determine which way the door opened, before throwing himself at it. The door swung inward with a deafening screech of discomfort. He could have sworn the symbol on the telementor changed colour for a second when the door opened.
Shining the torch into the darkness revealed a passage disappearing ahead. James walked nervously in.
I don’t want to be here, James thought to himself. I wish I wasn’t alone.
‘Don’t wo-ry… you’re safe,’ a faint, broken voice replied in his head.
‘Who’s there?’ James said out loud, but there was no reply.
Now I really am imagining things, he thought.
James started to walk along the passageway, which became steeper the further he went into the mountain. The sound of the wind outside faded slowly away and was replaced by the sound of dripping water from the ceiling. His footsteps echoed along the passageway.
He approached a junction that split in three directions. Using the torch he could see that one of the passageways only went a few metres, ending in a rock fall.
Which way now? James thought, feeling the telementor.
‘Wait!’ the faint voice replied in his head.
Suddenly the telementor glowed white, and his body was surrounded by a halo of yellow light, startling him. Then, a beam of light leaped out and struck the fallen rocks at the end of the blocked passageway. They glowed brightly and disappeared before his eyes. The telementor returned to normal.
James was frightened by the experience. His heart thumped; he was ready to run a mile.
Well that told me, he thought trying to compose himself. He took a deep breath before slowly walking through where the rocks had been. The temperature rose when he passed. Shining the torch ahead revealed that the passageway went a little further before stopping once more. It was a dead end.
James shook his head. He was about to turn when he heard a thud that echoed around the passage. The interior of the cave lit up and there, just in front of him, was what looked like a helicopter. It was similar to a Jetranger and completely black. What was strange was that he had shone the torch straight at it before and, yet, had not seen it.
He stood admiring the sleek lines of the helicopter. It had no visible windows and there was also something else missing. The rotors! He suddenly realized that this was the shuttle he was looking for. The shuttle was generating a light within the cave. Cobwebs and dirt on its casing cast shadows onto the rocky walls all around. He looked up, but even with the torch could not make out the roof of the cave. He wondered how he might get onboard and remembered the final instruction: The telementor will give me access to the shuttle.
He looked at the telementor on his wrist. I wonder how it works, he thought, pressing its face, but nothing happened.
James moved towards the shuttle for a closer inspection. Running his hand over the smooth casing, he could just feel a faint line of a large door, and where a handle might have been was a small white symbol at waist height. When the telementor passed close to the symbol, a very soft hum started to emanate from within the shuttle.
The door moved towards him. James’ heart quickened and he jumped backward. Slowly the side of the shuttle opened out.
James peered hesitantly inside. There were two seats in the centre, one behind the other. There were no visible controls, just a black slanted panel at the front. Looking around he thought, everything’s black! His colourful clothes and bag looked out of place.
James looked back along the passage way. His heart was urging him to abandon this adventu
re and return to the cottage, but his mind was full of unanswered questions. The things he had already seen were definitely not from this Earth, but what would happen if he entered the craft? There was only one way to find out for sure, so he nervously climbed onboard.
There are no instructions. How am I supposed to fly it?
As soon as he was inside, the door shut softly and the bottom quarter of the black panel illuminated many rows of white symbols. Suddenly, a beam of blue light scanned the interior of the craft and James. The telementor symbol flashed many colours before returning to orange.
James was extremely uneasy.
There was then silence for about ten seconds, before a soft whine could be heard all around. Some of the white symbols on the black slanted panel flashed, and the top half of the panel became an illuminated monitor, displaying a view from the front of the shuttle. The message, ‘PLEASE SIT DOWN JAMEILO’ was flashing in the centre.
James took a quick look around before sitting in the front seat. He nervously clenched his fists, repeatedly rubbing his knuckles together.
The monitor showed that the cave wall was moving by, and he realized that the shuttle was rising up and gathering speed. Then, there was darkness. The external lights had turned off. James felt a slight bump when the shuttle crashed through a thin layer of solid rock which made up the roof of the cave.
The shuttle rose rapidly into the night sky. He could now see the dark countryside spread out below. The distant lights of villages and snaking major roads soon faded away.
Frightened by the speed at which everything was happening, James instinctively reached for the seat belt, but to his surprise there were none. He gripped the arms of the seat firmly.
The shuttle passed through Earth’s atmosphere and then gracefully rotated about its axis.
He thought to himself, I wish I could look back at the Earth.
With that, the monitor changed its view to the rear, placing the Earth at its centre. Transfixed, James watched the shuttle glide effortlessly away from the planet, which was suspended between light and darkness. The cloud formations of swirling patterns of white and greys over the blue-green oceans below made him take a deep breath. He felt a lump in the back of his throat.
Sunlight glinted off the International Space Station, floating peacefully in the distance. The shuttle now accelerated at an alarming rate, heading into the unknown.
The acceleration was so smooth that only the movement of the stars indicated to James the speed at which he was now travelling. He felt a deep sadness watching the Earth fade into the darkness.
Goodbye, Mum… Dad. I will come back, James thought.
As the sun came into view the monitor darkened.
The sun’s so beautiful, he thought.
The monitor switched instantly, positioning the sun at its centre.
What the…! James realised that he was changing the view on the monitor by what he thought. Wow! How am I doing this? Amazing! Maybe it’s my hand on the arm rests. He held them up and then thought of Earth again. The monitor changed to display Earth at its centre. No way! How’s it doing that? He looked around for a camera. How does it know where I want to look? It’s like the monitor works by telepathy. In fact, James found that by concentrating on any direction he could view it on the monitor. The side views made him feel a bit of motion sickness.
He watched the sun fade into the background of stars and gradually relaxed his grip.
This is incredible, he thought. I’m in a real spacecraft with amazing technology, travelling through space. It’s like being in a science fiction program on television. I wonder where I’m heading.
A voice in his head suddenly replied, ‘you’re going to Lavmino.’
James was startled. It was the voice of a girl, although its clarity was constantly changing. Whoa! Hold on a minute. Now it’s talking to me in my head, he thought.
‘Who’s that…? I mean there!’ he said.
‘Hello Jameilo, I’m h…e waiting,’ the voice answered in his head. ‘I’m Kalrea.’
Kalrea, James thought, remembering Carol’s words. You must listen to Kalrea.
‘Why h…ve I got to listen t… myself?’ Kalrea seemed puzzled.
‘No, I didn’t mean that… I was just thinking,’ James replied.
‘That could be dangerous.’
‘Where are you?’ James asked, expecting the shuttle to respond in some way.
‘Lavmino.’
With that, the monitor changed to a star chart showing Earth in relation to Lavmino. The distance between them was just under four point three light years.
‘Is that where I’m heading?’
‘Yes.’
‘How long will it take?’
‘10.4 Earth hours.’
James was puzzled.
‘How are you communicating with me?’ he asked.
‘Through the telementor on your wrist.’
‘Is that how I can control the monitor, on this—?’
Kalrea interrupted, ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Your mind’s a jumble of thoughts; it’s very difficult for me to understand you properly. Yes, you can use it to control the monitor.’
‘But you knew what I was going to say.’
‘Yes, James. I read your thoughts.’
James felt violated.
‘Hold on a minute. You can read my thoughts! All my thoughts!’
I can’t believe I’m transmitting my inner-self to a complete stranger.
‘They’re very personal. I may not like you, and you’d know. You can’t just read my thoughts!’
‘I’m here to help you, James, not judge you by what you may think. I understand thoughts can be very personal. I can assure you, I would not pass them on to anyone else.’
‘I’m sorry, I don’t like this. I don’t know you.’
James started to remove the telementor from his wrist.
‘No, wait! I can’t protect you if you take off the—’
‘I don’t think I’m in any danger. I’m not having this,’ James said, cutting off the link with Kalrea.
He placed the telementor in his pocket.
I can’t believe Carol didn’t warn me about this. How can she expect me to give my inner thoughts to another person; a person who sounds younger than me! People talk. There’s no way that Kalrea would not telepathically pass them onto someone else.
James was very tense and upset. Kalrea had a lot to answer for. This doesn’t make sense. She must know Lex and Carol, but why did she not come to Earth? Why did she stay on that planet? And why didn’t Carol or Lex communicate with me using telepathy!
James tried to relax, but kept thinking of what he may have unknowingly told Kalrea. He took the food from his bag. Ten hours until I get there. Now I know why these seats are so comfortable.
*****
James must have dozed off for a while, because when he awoke the shuttle had almost arrived.
The view ahead was of a massive planet. The light from a nearby star reflected off its chocolate and cream mottled atmosphere, and there was a thick belt of asteroids in geostationary orbit around its equator. Some looked the size of Earth’s moon.
This must be Lavmino, James thought.
The shuttle decelerated rapidly and swept under the belt of asteroids, passing between light and shadows.
The shuttle came gently to a stop beneath one of the smaller asteroids, turned upside down and started upwards towards it. It approached the surface, and then some symbols on the black panel flashed. Part of the asteroid’s surface moved to the left, revealing a circular aperture.
There was just a black space into which the shuttle now descended. Once inside, the door closed above with a jarring thud, shutting out the light. James felt a slight jolt and the shuttle’s hum stopped. It had landed.
Chapter Seven
James could hear a loud hissing noise outside, like air being released from a pressure valve. The shuttle illuminated the surroundings, before its door opened
slowly, revealing a small circular room with a smooth wall. James nervously picked up his belongings and moved to the doorway.
I hope it’s safe, he thought, taking a few sharp breaths of air. The air was dry, but he could smell a faint dampness. He disembarked and looked apprehensively around. High above him he could see the large door where he had entered. The only other visible exit was a closed airlock door. As he walked slowly over to it, there was a metallic click that echoed around the landing area and the door unlocked and swung inwards.
A wisp of dust filtered through the airlock door, and a smell of stagnant air quickly dispersed. His heart pounding, he stepped over the rim of the door and into a long narrow control room.
Where is everyone?
At the far end of the room there was another airlock door with a blacked out window alongside it. In the centre of the room there was a large elliptical table. Chairs were scattered all around it, and various objects were strewn over the table. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt, and there was a green moss growing on some areas of the walls and on some of the consoles.
It looks deserted. No one’s been here for years, James thought. He moved towards the table.
‘PELGLUCE FLO GLOH KELLO DREN HURN,’ a male voice announced across a public-address system.
James could not understand the voice as it was not speaking in Qinant.
‘Take a seat, Jameilo,’ a woman’s voice said, over the same address system. ‘What he said was, “WELCOME TO TELECAN SCIENCE STATION TWENTY-THREE”, or at least that’s my best guess at the translation of Telecan into Earth English.’
James placed his bag on the table and brushed the dust off one of the chairs before sitting down.
‘Who’s that?’ he asked uneasily.
‘It’s me, Kalrea.’
‘I didn’t recognise your voice. I mean, you sound different,’ James said. ‘You sound a lot older.’
‘This is because everyone interprets transmitted images and thoughts differently,’ Kalrea said. ‘I can change it if you’re not happy.’
‘Er… no it’s fine,’ James said, wondering to himself, How can she change her voice? ‘Where are you?’
The Aurora (Aurora Saga, Book 1) Page 5